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Given the speed of events in Saudi Arabia this year a stunning report surfaces stating that King Salman is anticipated to hand over ruling authority to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman next week. According to The Daily Mail King Salman will retain the title of guardian of the holy mosques but otherwise hand over all ruling authority to the crown prince.

Saudi Arabia swapping assets for freedom of some held in graft purge: sources Samia Nakhoul, Katie Paul BEIRUT/RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi authorities are striking agreements with some of those detained in an anti-corruption crackdown, asking them to hand over assets and cash in return for their freedom, sources familiar with the matter said. The deals involve separating cash from assets like property and shares, and looking at bank accounts to assess cash values, one of the sources told Reuters. Dozens of princes, senior officials and businessmen, including cabinet ministers and billionaires, have been detained in the graft inquiry at least...

The King of Saudi Arabia plans to step down and announce his son as his successor next week, a source close to the country's royal family has exclusively told DailyMail.com. The move is seen as the final step in 32-year-old Prince Mohammed bin Salman's power grab, which began earlier this month with the arrests of more than 40 princes and government ministers in a corruption probe. The source said King Salman will continue only as a ceremonial figurehead, handing over official leadership of the country to his son - often referred to as MBS.

US Secretary of State has warned other countries against using Lebanon for proxy conflicts, following a crisis triggered by the resignation of its Prime Minister, Saad Hariri. Iran and its Lebanese ally, the militant Shia group Hezbollah, claim the Saudis detained Mr. Hariri and forced his resignation. Mr. Tillerson said he had received assurances that Mr. Hariri was free. Mr. Hariri resigned a week ago while in Saudi capital, Riyadh. "There is no legitimate place or role in Lebanon for any foreign forces, militias or armed elements other than the legitimate security forces of the Lebanese state" Mr. Tillerson said...

When Saad Hariri’s jet touched down in Beirut early Thursday, Lebanon hoped it would bring an end to a crisis spurred by his abrupt and mysterious resignation as prime minister, delivered in a speech from Saudi Arabia last week. But he was not aboard, according to local media and an airport employee. For five days, Hariri has been in the shadows, his whereabouts and status the subject of fevered speculation in this fragile state. Aides said they have hardly spoken to him. His own political party has anxiously demanded his return. ... When Hariri resigned on Saturday, during what appeared...

Saudi King Salman reportedly plans to relinquish power in favor of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has recently launched a self-promotion campaign under the cover of tackling high-level corruption. Rai al-Youm, an Arab world digital news and opinion website, reported on Wednesday that the king will announce the decision within “the next two nights.” Earlier on Wednesday, Saudi-owned television news channel Al-Arabiya had announced the news in a Twitter message, but it retracted the post hours later. Political analysts say the regime in Riyadh is apparently seeking to test the waters and examine public reaction regarding a...

What the recent political shakeup in Saudi Arabia means for global terrorism funding. Originally published by the Jerusalem Post. For 70 years, Saudi Arabia served as the largest and most significant incubator of Sunni jihad. Its Wahhabist Islamic establishment funded radical mosques throughout the world. Saudi princes have supported radical Islamic clerics who have indoctrinated their followers to pursue jihad against the non-Islamic world. Saudi money stands behind most of the radical Islamic groups in the non-Islamic world that have in turn financed terrorist groups like Hamas and al-Qaida and have insulated radical Islam from scrutiny by Western governments and...

Sophia, the humanoid robot, has been granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia. Yes, you read that correctly. Sophia was created by Hanson Robotics, the Hong Kong company whose tagline is, "We bring robots to life." Sophia uses artificial intelligence (AI) to communicate with life-like gestures and speech. Sophia blinks her eyes, changes her gaze and has an expressive face to mimic human emotions. She can smile, nod her head, and look angry or sad.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Saturday named Crown Prince Mohammed head of a corruption “supreme committee” in addition to a council that oversees Saudi Aramco, which in the past had been governed largely by technocrats. Salman said the move was because of “what we have noticed of exploitation by some of the weak souls who have put their own interests above the public interest, to, illicitly, accrue money.” Ibrahim Al-Assaf, a former finance minister and current director of Saudi Aramco, was among at least 17 princes, current and former government ministers and business executives taken into custody, according...

A Saudi prince is thought to have been killed in a firefight while resisting arrest as part of the kingdom's anti-corruption purge. It comes just 24 hours after another of Riyadh's royals died in a helicopter crash along with government ministers.

Asleep on the floor of their 'luxury' five star prison 11 Saudi princes, government ministers and businessmen await their fate following their arrest in the biggest anti-corruption purge of the kingdom's modern history. In a photo obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com the men are seen gathered together at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, inside one of its glittering function rooms - wrapped in blankets and sleeping on thin mattresses.

It’s hard to tell what exactly is happening in Saudi Arabia. The New York Times presents it as a genuine relaxation of Islamic strictures, which, as is clear from the Times article itself, is not the same thing as reform of Islam: Muslim clerics who know full well what the contents of Islamic law are regard the crackdown with extreme concern, precisely because they’re afraid that Muhammad bin Salman will transgress the bounds of Islam.The arrest of Prince Alwaleed, in any case, is good news, but not for any reason that the establishment media will present. (The corruption charge in...

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Hariri's resignation, the Saudi purge, and the Houthi missile fired at Riyadh are interconnected.Saturday night was a busy one for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The kingdom’s 32-year old heir to the throne excelled himself. He surpassed the high levels of chaos and human misery he had already achieved as the defence minister who launched the air campaign on Yemen. First up was the sudden resignation of the Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri after just one year in office. Hariri made his announcement from Riyadh, which is a curious place...

"The Coalition's command considers the Iranian regime's action in supplying the Houthi militias that it commands with these missiles to be a blatant violation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions that prohibit nations from arming these militias, specifically UNSC Resolution (2216)," the statement said. It also said it considers "Iran's role and its direct command of its Houthi proxy" a "blatant act of military aggression by the Iranian regime, and could be considered as an act of war against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." While closing all points of entry to Yemen, the Coalition command said it will...

The Saudi purge will change how investors view the Kingdom Saudi Arabia suddenly arrested powerful royals and businessmen over the weekend As investors digest the news, they may demand higher returns from Saudi assets to offest the political risks Sri Jegarajah | @cnbcSri Saudi Arabia suddenly arrested powerful royals and businessmen over the weekend, in what officials call an anti-corruption drive, but outside observers deem domestic power consolidation. Either way, the move is likely making investors see Saudi assets as riskier, so they're set to demand higher returns. Some believe the extraordinary purge is an attempt by 32-year-old Crown Prince...

Saudi Arabia is expected to take a small portion of Saudi Aramco, which controls some of the world's largest oil reserves, public sometime in 2018. While it is expected to list its shares on Saudi Arabia's own stock market, known as Tadawul, it's also expected to do what's known as a dual listing with another stock exchange internationally. When Saudi Aramco goes public, it is expected to be one of the world's most valuable companies. [snip]

Major American foundations have given millions of dollars in funding to Islamic organizations accused of having ties to radical Islamist movements or designated terrorist organizations and a group of activists are trying to convince them to stop. Groups like Islamic Relief Worldwide, which some countries have banned for allegedly funding Hamas and other terrorist organizations, have received millions of dollars from corporate charities like the GE Foundation, community foundations like the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and independent foundations like George Soros’ Open Society Foundation.Researchers with the Middle East Forum, an activist group devoted to promoting American interests abroad, identified the financial...

Saudi authorities carried out a new wave of arrests targeting royals and former cabinet ministers, people familiar with the matter said, a move that appears intended to further consolidate power in the hands of the Saudi leadership at a time of political transition. At least 10 princes and more than two dozen former ministers were detained by Saudi authorities on Saturday night, according to people familiar with the matter. It was unclear if charges were filed. [snip]

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vow to turn Saudi Arabia into a moderate Islamic country may have been welcomed by the West, but it did not go down well in Turkey — especially among Islamists — and fueled long-standing suspicions about "imperial US designs against the Islamic world."Ever since former US Secretary of State Colin Powell declared Turkey to be a “moderate Islamic republic” in 2004, the concept of moderate Islam has raised the hackles of Turkish secularists and Islamists alike. Still smarting over 9/11, Washington was searching at the time for a model against radical Islam that reflected...

King Salman had issued a decree allowing women to be given driving licences, the Saudi Press Agency said. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that has forbidden women from driving. Rights groups have campaigned for years to allow women